Careers

Computer Science and Engineering grads will find Cognitive Science coming into play whenever they design something for people to use. To create an expert system—a computer system designed to carry out a special task that requires intelligence, such as making a medical diagnosis or deciding who is eligible for a bank loan—you need to know how people think, see, and learn. The same applies if you're creating a web page, a database, a VCR, or any machine or system. And by understanding how people think, you can design more intelligent computers.

But no matter what profession you choose, you'll be able to do your job better if you understand how the mind works.

If you plan to go into psychology, psychiatry, or counselling, Cognitive Science supplies a broad understanding of the theories of psychology as well as skills in computer modelling techniques to supplement psychology's experimental approach.
If your goal is to teach, Cognitive Science can help you understand how people learn so you can work out better teaching methods.
If you're aiming to go into law, you'll be more effective in court if you have some insight into how juries make decisions.
If you want to become a business manager or human resources consultant, Cognitive Science will provide a scientific basis for understanding how people use language and perform intellectual tasks.

Further Study

In combination with courses chosen from other programs, the option in Cognitive Science can be a good preparation for further studies in

computer science
education
kinesiology/ergonomics
law
philosophy
psychology

Cognitive Science Alumni

Just read what some former Cognitive Science students are saying about the program:

"I am currently doing a PhD in Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University, where I do research on artificial intelligence and interactive robots. The Cognitive Science Option introduced me to many of the concepts and ideas I am now pursuing in my grad studies."

- Joelle Pineau
Systems Design Engineering, 1998

"Before I discovered what the Cognitive Science Option had to offer, I was looking into a lot of programs, trying to find one that studies the way the brain worked, from both a psychological and computational perspective. The option gave me a chance to pull together these and many more areas of study so that when I graduated, I felt like I had a better view of how the brain works, and how to apply them to later work in graduate school."

- Steven Engels
Electrical Engineering, 1999

"I knew I was interested in Biomedical Engineering when I started Systems Design. I decided to enroll in the option for fun: to learn a bit more about the brain, and to take some courses as far away from engineering as possible. I ended up loving the stuff! This September, I will be starting in the PhD program in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. My focus will be on computational neuroscience, the creation of mathematical models of the brain; likely the auditory, visual or motor systems. So what started off as something "fun" is going to be the focus of my life for at least 5 years. I highly recommend the option. The courses are interesting, yet diverse enough to keep them exciting, and the teaching has been excellent."

- Faisal Karmali
Systems Design Engineering, 2000

More Information

Cognitive Science

Careers

Further Study

Cognitive Science Alumni